• Home
  • About
    • Meet Our Coaches
    • Why Speech and Debate
    • What is Speech and Debate? >
      • Speech Events
      • Debate Events
    • Why Golden State Academy
    • Tournament Results and Photos
    • 2016 Nationals Results
    • FAQ
  • Forms
  • Registration
    • Private Coaching >
      • Speech Private Coaching
      • Debate Private Coaching
    • Elementary Summer 2021
    • MS/HS Summer 2021
    • GSA Tournaments
    • BASIS Tournaments
  • Store
  • Career Opportunities
  • Newsletter
The Golden State Academy
  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Our Coaches
    • Why Speech and Debate
    • What is Speech and Debate? >
      • Speech Events
      • Debate Events
    • Why Golden State Academy
    • Tournament Results and Photos
    • 2016 Nationals Results
    • FAQ
  • Forms
  • Registration
    • Private Coaching >
      • Speech Private Coaching
      • Debate Private Coaching
    • Elementary Summer 2021
    • MS/HS Summer 2021
    • GSA Tournaments
    • BASIS Tournaments
  • Store
  • Career Opportunities
  • Newsletter

    2021 STRATFORD SHAMROCK INVITATIONAL

    13-14 March 2021

    DEADLINE
    1 Mar 2021
    ELIGIBILITY
    Open to middle school novices only
    PLATFORM
    Online through NSDA Campus

    Information

    After being shut down in 2020 due to our event’s coinciding with the very stressful March shelter-in-place order, we are back and all virtual for 2021! Please join Stratford Debate for our 3rd (should-be-4th) annual Shamrock Invitational! We are so glad to have been able to put this event together for 2021.
    ​

    EVENTS
    The biggest change will be that Speech will be asynchronous this time! We will be requesting all Speech entries to be recorded and submitted the week before the tournament. Speech Judges will have rounds allocated to them the Monday-Thursday, March 8-12, the week of the tournament, and they will have 24 hours to submit their ballot before the next round is assigned. During the second day of the tournament (3/14), however, we will host a live Speech Finals, which will be streamed live on YouTube for spectators. This will be our first speech elimination round ever!

    We are allowing for double entry between Debate and Speech events. If a student wants to enter LD, or PF, they may also enter up to 2 speech events. If students would like to double-enter in Speech events, we will have a protocol for students to enter a maximum of 2 Speech events. Students double-entered will need to speak first, and then they must transfer to their other room to finish out the round.

    The debate judge pool will be combined at this tournament, so we will not guarantee that judges will stick to a single format throughout the event. Judges, please read the judging materials below prior to the event to help prepare yourselves for the tournament.

    Debate
    We will continue to have Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas formats. This is a novice tournament, so middle-school competitors only, please. While this is a Novice tournament, we will not use the Novice topics for either event.

    Lincoln-Douglas
    Lincoln-Douglas will use the March-April 2021 Topic. Competitors are not permitted to do live research during rounds. All competitors must be prepared to provide cards to judges & opponents at the start of each round to streamline cross and minimize the ability to spontaneously look up information mid-round. On Sunday, LD debaters will complete a fifth round and then break into quarters, semis, and finals. The Semifinal and Final rounds will be streamed live on YouTube for coaches, teammates, family and friends (streaming information TBA).

    Public Forum
    Public Forum will also use the March 2021 topic. Again, students are not permitted to do live research during rounds. All competitors must be prepared to provide cards to judges & opponents at the start of each round to streamline cross and minimize the ability to spontaneously look up information mid-round. On Sunday, PF debaters will complete a fifth round and then break into quarters, semis, and finals. The Semifinal and Final rounds will be streamed live on YouTube for coaches, teammates, family and friends (streaming information TBA).

    Speech
    We are hosting Original Oratory and Duo Interpretation (subject to change) again this tournament, along with Expository, Interpretation (Dramatic & Oratorical), Humorous Interpretation. Any category with fewer than 10 entries will not participate in the live finals; they will be ranked and receive their results via tabroom. The regular 10-minute maximum times will be in place for these events.

    ​All competitors may enter in up to two (2) Speech events, even if they are already entered in one of the debate formats, as Speech will be asynchronous, and the Speech finals will not coincide with the Debate finals. But, with the prospect of a live final, we do not want rounds delayed because of triple- or quadruple-entered competitors, so we are limiting Speech to double-entry only. Should a double-entered competitor reach multiple final rounds, that speaker will need to speak first in one event, and then they must transfer to the other room to speak last in their second event.

    Speech events will not have a final round if the event category has fewer than ten (10) registered competitors.

    JUDGES, PLEASE NOTE: For the asynchronous speech rounds, judges will be assigned 1 round per day from Monday, March 8 - Thursday, March 12, for a total of 4 rounds. Judges will have 24 hours to submit their ballots before the next round is assigned. The final prelim round ballots will be due by Friday night. Saturday, we will tabulate the rankings and break sometime before the conclusion of the event that day so that we can host live finals on Sunday night, streamed on YouTube (streaming information TBA).

    To ensure that speakers give the best presentation possible to the judges, and to ensure the judges can tabulate ballots easily and provide constructive feedback, please follow the NSDA guidelines for timing for speeches. Ensure you have good lighting in the room so judges can see you, and check your sound quality and volume for your recordings. If judges cannot see you, or can barely hear you, that will negatively affect your scores.

    We are hosting Original Oratory and Duo Interpretation (subject to change) again this tournament, along with Expository, Interpretation (Dramatic & Oratorical), and Humorous Interpretation. All prep times will conform to the standard times. ​​

    LOGISTICS
    This tournament will be all digital through NSDA Campus. Speech will be asynchronous this year with live final. Rounds will be announced via e-mail and SMS, and ballots will be tabulated digitally. Competitors, coaches, and judges, please test your technology the week of the tournament, and have a back-up plan in the event of a power or internet outage.
    All schedule times are subject to change. In order to respect everyone’s time, if we can move the event forward earlier (without trimming the length of the lunch break), we will attempt to do so. This requires, however, that judges be responsive and available if the round times move up.

    We will fine missing judges. Competitors can accrue 1 forfeit loss. If they do not show up for a round after accruing one forfeit, we will drop them from the tournament in order to proceed in a timely fashion.

    SPECTATING RULES
    For logistical reasons, spectators will not be allowed in rounds. For the elimination rounds, we will provide live streams through YouTube so that competitors, coaches, family, and friends can watch the event. This will begin at the Semifinals for Debate, and the Finals for Speech.

    TECH POLICY
    No electronic communication is allowed within round with anyone outside the round.
    Recording of any kind in a debate round is forbidden. You cannot record yourself, you cannot record your opponents, and you cannot observe a round and record it, with video or audio. Video recording of any kind, of any kind, even if it is by a parent, is not allowed, as it would also contain audio recordings of the debate arguments and other minors. There are many thorny legal issues in the state of California surrounding recording of others in private spaces, and especially of minors, without prior consent, so please, just don't. We reserve the right to disqualify and expel competitors for recording on either their part or their parents’.

    REPORTING
    Reporting violations is up to the coaches; if you receive notice from a competitor that there was illegal use of wifi, or someone recording in rounds, please note the room number, round number, event, and names of your competitors.
     
    LATE-START AND FORFEITS
    If your opponents do not show up within 15 minutes of the round's start time, please text 1-669-244-2195 with your round type, section number, and team information. It is incumbent upon the team, or the coach, to report no-shows in order to receive a forfeit.
    ​

    If a judge does not show up, either report it to the same phone number with the and round type, section number and tabroom will find a replacement judge and fine the team for the missing judge.

    ​Entry Price

    One event $80
    Two events $110
    Three events $140

    If you don't provide a judge, you will pay an additional $110

    Registration will not be complete until payment is received.
    NOTE: We will charge set up fees if we have to create tabroom.com accounts for judges. It is recommended you do so on your own.

    Schedule

    Please note that all times are in PACIFIC STANDARD TIME (PST).
    ​
    Click here to see schedule for all events

    Drop Fee

    Drop fees will be the same amounts as the entry fee PLUS any fees the tournament charges us for late drops. Drop requests should be made to Victor and Nadia.

    Please do not drop out last minute to avoid being charged these fees.

    Contact Info

    Victor Rivas Umana
    Contact email:  vrivasumana@tgsastaff.com

    Nadia Budiman 
    Contact email: nbudiman@tgsastaff.com

    Or info@tgsastaff.com

    Registration Form


    STUDENT INFORMATION

    PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
    Your email address will be the one included when we send the logistics email.

    EVENT SELECTION
    Make sure you have checked the double-entry policies. We are not responsible for schedule conflicts.
    ​​Please note that you CANNOT double-enter in both OI and DI because the events are likely to be combined.
    You must fill this out if you are doing Public Forum.

    ​JUDGE PROVISION

    ​
    Judges, please ensure you entered your child's tabroom email into their personal conflicts in their accounts so we avoid any awkward conflicts of interest should a judging shortage require us to make last-minute judge assignment changes.

    SPEECH JUDGES: Please make sure you are aware that Speech will be asynchronous, so Speech judges will need to judge for approximately 1-1.5 hours each day from M-F (March 8th-12th). Speech rounds will post at 5:00pm each day, and the ballots will be due at 4:55pm the following day.
    Aside from that, 
    speech judges must also keep your Sunday open. You will be notified on Saturday, 3/13 by the end of the tournament day if you need to come to judge Sunday evening.


    Debate is on two (2) days at this event. Please be aware that we will need judge obligations filled for Debate for both days. Debate judges may be asked to judge LD, PF, or Congress. They do not differentiate between debate events.
    Signing up a judge without having a Tabroom account will result in us charging you for the set up fee. You can do this easily on your own by going to tabroom.com. It takes less than a minute.

    First time judging? Click here to learn how to do it! Or watch our Youtube playlist here.

    ​This tournament requires judges to have a paradigm on their Tabroom account, which can be a few sentences on your preferences of debating styles, etc. See here for example. It doesn't need to be this long, but make sure to add something before you sign up. For example: 
    "I am a parent, please speak clearly and slowly and avoid technical jargon".

    TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Submit/take to payment

We would love to have you visit soon at one of our open houses.
Check our home page for the schedule!


School year Hours

M-F: 3:45 pm - 8:30 pm 
Sun: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Telephone

510-270-8480
510-470-0531
​510-890-6665

Email (preferred)

For more info email us at: info@tgsastaff.com

Locations

Fremont: 200 Brown Rd #201, Fremont, CA 94539

Radiant Kidz(Cupertino): 991 Saratoga Ave #140, San Jose, CA 95129 

Morning Light Education: 6690 Amador Plaza Rd, Suite 230, Dublin, CA

Aborn Institute: 2804 Riedel Road, San Jose, CA 95135 

Loving Tree Academy: 36601 Newark Blvd, #83, Newark, CA 94560
  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Our Coaches
    • Why Speech and Debate
    • What is Speech and Debate? >
      • Speech Events
      • Debate Events
    • Why Golden State Academy
    • Tournament Results and Photos
    • 2016 Nationals Results
    • FAQ
  • Forms
  • Registration
    • Private Coaching >
      • Speech Private Coaching
      • Debate Private Coaching
    • Elementary Summer 2021
    • MS/HS Summer 2021
    • GSA Tournaments
    • BASIS Tournaments
  • Store
  • Career Opportunities
  • Newsletter